U.S. patent number 6,575,273 [Application Number 09/926,750] was granted by the patent office on 2003-06-10 for bag with two convex lids.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Baby Bjorn AB. Invention is credited to H.ang.kan Bergkvist, Elisabet Broms.
United States Patent |
6,575,273 |
Bergkvist , et al. |
June 10, 2003 |
Bag with two convex lids
Abstract
A bag comprising a body (3) which has a lid (1, 2) on at least
one of its two mutually opposing sides, wherewith the bottom edge
of the lid is hinged to the bottom part of the body, wherein the
lid (1, 2), which is substantially rigid, has an outwardly arched
outer surface which is adapted to lie tangentially to the
underlying bag supporting surface (55) at a distance from the area
in which the bag (3) is supported by said surface (55) when the lid
(1, 2) has been opened out. When in contact with the underlying
supporting surface, the rim of the lid pitches a plane that defines
with the underlying supporting surface (55) an angle that is
greater than 5.degree.. The bag includes means (12) adapted for
limiting the maximal angle to which the lid can be opened relative
to the body to a value at which the lid will lie tangentially to
the bag supporting surface (55).
Inventors: |
Bergkvist; H.ang.kan (Bromma,
SE), Broms; Elisabet (Taby, SE) |
Assignee: |
Baby Bjorn AB (Danderyd,
SE)
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Family
ID: |
20416515 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/926,750 |
Filed: |
December 12, 2001 |
PCT
Filed: |
July 07, 2000 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/SE00/01456 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO01/05265 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
January 25, 2001 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Jul 16, 1999 [SE] |
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9902720 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
190/114; 190/111;
190/903 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C
3/00 (20130101); A45C 3/02 (20130101); A45C
13/02 (20130101); A45F 3/02 (20130101); A45C
5/03 (20130101); A45C 5/00 (20130101); Y10S
190/903 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A45F
3/02 (20060101); A45F 3/00 (20060101); A45C
13/02 (20060101); A45C 13/00 (20060101); A45C
5/03 (20060101); A45C 3/00 (20060101); A45C
3/02 (20060101); A45C 5/00 (20060101); A45C
005/00 (); A45C 005/12 () |
Field of
Search: |
;190/111-114,903,106 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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88106 |
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Nov 1895 |
|
DE |
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553 428 |
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Jun 1932 |
|
DE |
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2 480 579 |
|
Oct 1981 |
|
FR |
|
14070 |
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Jul 1904 |
|
GB |
|
585845 |
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Feb 1947 |
|
GB |
|
1757609 |
|
Aug 1992 |
|
SU |
|
87/02227 |
|
Apr 1987 |
|
WO |
|
Primary Examiner: Weaver; Sue A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Jacobson Holman PLLC
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A bag comprising a body which is provided on at least one of its
mutually opposite sides with a lid which is hingedly connected at
its lower edge to the bottom part of the body, a height of said lid
being greater than a width of said bottom part as measured between
said mutually opposite sides, wherein the lid is substantially
rigid and has an outwardly arched outer surface that is formed to
lie tangential to the underlying bag supporting surface at a
distance from the area in which the bag is supported by said
supporting surface when said lid is open, the rim of said lid
defining with said supporting surface an angle that is greater than
5.degree. when the lid is in contact with said supporting surface,
said bag including a flexible wall structure between side-edge
parts of the body and respective side-edge parts of said lid so
that, when in an open position, the lid will form together with
said body and said flexible walls a pocket that has downwardly
sloping walls and with which the lid-defined wall slopes downward
and inward when the bag rests on said supporting surface, said
flexible wall structure restricting the maximum angle to which the
lid can be opened relative to the body, to a value at which the lid
becomes tangential to the bag supporting surface when said flexible
wall structure is fully extended.
2. The bag according to claim 1, wherein the flexible walls have a
pleated, concertina-like structure that extends from a region of
the lid hinge connection to said body and up to at least one-third
of a height of the lid and the body respectively.
3. The bag according to claim 1, wherein an upper part of the body
includes an opening through which a bag interior can be accessed
when the lid is closed against the body.
4. The bag according to claim 3, wherein said bag includes a flap
which functions to cover the opening, said flap being hinged to
said bag.
5. The bag according to claim 3, wherein a free edge of the lid
includes a cut-out that defines a part of the access opening.
6. The bag according to claim 1, wherein edges of the lid are
connectable to the body by means of an associated zip fastener that
extends from respective ends of the lid hinge connection to said
body along a rim of the lid and up to an upper longitudinal midway
area of an edge of the bag.
7. bag according to claim 6, wherein the zip fasteners are
terminated at corresponding end edges of the opening.
8. The bag according to claim 1, wherein the body is provided with
a lid on each of its two mutually opposing sides.
9. The bag according to claim 8, wherein the body includes a bottom
plate, a top plate and two separate walls that interconnect the top
and bottom plates, a wall extending between the bottom plate and
the walls of said body up to a region of the top plate of said
body, with edge parts of the body that lie proximal to the lids
lying in planes that converge upwards and form a joining plane with
an opening edge of the lids.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bag of the kind defined in the
preamble of claim 1.
The present invention relates to a bag having a body which is
provided on at least one of its mutually opposite sides with a lid
which is hingedly connected at its lower edge to the bottom part of
the body, wherein the lid is substantially rigid and has an
outwardly arched outer surface that is formed to lie tangential to
the underlying bag supporting surface at a distance from the area
in which the bag is supported by the supporting surface when the
lid is open.
2. Description of the Related Art
The invention thus relates to a bag that includes a body which has
two hinged lids disposed on respective opposite sides thereof. The
mutually facing surfaces of said lids and body have pockets and/or
fasteners for various implements, consumable articles or supplies,
etc. The bag can be used beneficially for accessories associated
with the care of infants, for instance pacifiers, feeding bottles,
napkins, diapers, skincare agents, etc.
The bag body is adapted to stand stably on a horizontal, flat
supporting surface and extends generally perpendicular to this
plane. The body has a bottom surface and the lids are hinged to
mutually opposing edges thereof. The lids can be folded out from
the bag body to rest on said supporting surface with the body
standing upright on said surface.
The bag includes means for restricting the maximum angle to which
the lids can be opened relative to the body.
WO 87/02227 teaches a bag of this particular kind, where the body
comprises a rigid partition wall in the bag, and where the opening
limiting means have the form of cords fixedly connected to
respective edges of the partition wall and the lids extending
parallel with the lid hinge axes, in their longitudinal midway
region. The cords have a length which enables the two lids to lie
flat on the underlying supporting surface, whereas the partition
wall stands upright on said surface when the cords are
stretched.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,628 teaches a case that includes a body which
has storage spaces that are open towards the case lids, wherewith
the outsides of the lids and the bottom of the body lie in a common
plane (the supporting plane) in the opened state of the case.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the invention is to provide a bag that will stand
stably on a horizontal, underlying supporting surface even when one
of its two lids is opened out to an angle in which the rim of the
lid lies in a plane that defines an angle of at least 5.degree.
with the supporting surface, and preferably an angle of
10-40.degree., and more preferably an angle of 10-30.degree.
therewith.
In the case of a bag that comprises a body and two hingedly
connected lids, a further object of the invention is to provide
comfortable access to a storage space in the bag when the lids are
closed against the body.
These objects are achieved with the bag according to the present
invention.
According to one embodiment of the invention preferred at present,
the body has on each of two mutually opposite sides a lid that is
substantially rigid and generally panel-like in construction and
that has an outwardly curved or arched outer surface as seen in a
plane normal to the hinge axes of the lids, such that the lids
impart an aesthetically attractive, gently curved appearance to the
bag, such as to form a storage space in respective lids inwardly of
their rim plane. The lid opening limiting means suitably has the
form of flexible pleated walls that connect the side edges of the
body to the side edges of respective lids. The lids are adapted to
support against the underlying bag supporting plane at a
significant distance from the hinge axes of respective lids, when
the rim plane of the arched lid defines an angle of, e.g.,
10-70.degree. with the bag supporting plane. The lid opening
limiting means may be adapted to define the angle to which the lid
can be opened from the bag body and at which the lid will lie
tangential to said supporting plane. Because the lid can also
support against the supporting plane outside the body surface
supported by said supporting surface, the risk of the bag toppling
is reduced when solely one lid is opened out to said inclined angle
to the underlying supporting surface and carries a heavy load.
The body includes a generally rectangular bottom plate that has
support feet in respective corners thereof. The body has a
generally tubular shape, whose cross-section is preferably
substantially partitioned by a panel that is generally
perpendicular to the bottom plate of the bag and functions to
stabilise the generally tubular part of said body. In addition to
the bottom plate, the tubular part of the body also includes a
narrower top plate and top-plate connecting walls, which are
preferably trapezoidal in shape, such that the tubular part of said
body will have end planes that slope upwards/inwards towards a body
symmetry plane.
Thus, the rim planes of the lids will be located above the bottom
plate of the bag when the lids are closed, so that the centre of
gravity of the lids and their contents will be displaced in a
direction towards the bottom plate of the bag and preferably to a
position inwardly of the bottom-plate supporting surface lying
against the underlying support surface.
In one embodiment of the bag, the upper part of the body has an
opening which permits user access to the bag interior whilst the
lids are closed against the body. This access opening enables the
user to reach frequently used articles, such as comforters or
pacifiers, feeding bottles, and the like. A flap or the like is
suitably hinged on the bag, preferably on one of its lids, so that
it can be dropped over the opening so as to cover the same. The
free end of the flap may include means for releasably fastening the
flap on the opposite side of the opening.
The opening can extend along a selected part of the upper edge of
the bag, and two mutually opposing edge parts of the opening may
suitably be formed by rim parts of the bag lids, these edge and rim
parts optionally being recessed or apertured to impart a purposeful
width to the opening.
The lids are suitably connectable to the bag body through the
medium of zip fasteners that extend from the hinge connection of
the lids to the bottom plate of the body up to the longitudinal
midway plane of the bag or, when an opening is provided through the
upper bag plate, to the edge of the opening. The bag is preferably
provided with a shoulder strap that connects with two mutually
opposing, preferably trapezoidal bag walls.
The invention will now be described in more detail by way of
example with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view of a bag constructed in accordance with the
invention.
FIG. 2 is an end view of the bag shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 illustrates a section taken on the line A--A in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 shows the bag of FIG. 3 with the lids opened out.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bag with the lids opened
out.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one variant of the bag.
FIG. 7 is a detailed plan view of the subject of FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become
apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However,
it should be understood that the detailed description and specific
examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention,
are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and
modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will
become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed
description.
FIGS. 1-5 illustrate a bag that comprises a body 3 which includes a
generally rectangular bottom plate 37 which has corner-mounted
support feet 14 for supporting the bag on an underlying supporting
surface 55. The body has two trapezoidal walls 36 whose side edges
include an angle of 20.degree.. The upper part 38 of the body has
the form of a narrow, generally rectangular plate disposed
centrally opposite the bottom plate 37. The plates 37, 38 and the
walls 36 are mutually connected to form a tubular body part that is
partitioned by a generally vertically orientated wall plate 16
which, in the illustrated embodiment, lies generally in the plane
that is pitched by the body opening edge against which the rims of
respective lids connect when the lids are closed.
The lids 1, 2 are hinged to respective longitudinal edges of the
bottom plate 37. The lids 1, 2 are arched as seen in a plane normal
to the lid hinge connections 39, which may consist of flexible band
material. Zip fasteners 4 extend from the ends 41 of the hinges 39
up to the lid-determined symmetry plane of the bag, where the guide
bodies 42 of the zip fasteners are located adjacent each other. The
bag defined by the body and the lids is also substantially
symmetrical relative to a plane centrally between the closed
lids.
Each body wall 36 is provided, via an attachment 9, with a ring 8
to which a shoulder strap 5 is connected.
Provided at each body wall 36 is a preferably pleated structure 12
that connects between the body 3 and respective lids 1, 2. The lids
1, 2 are arched so as to lie tangential to the supporting surface
55 on which the feet rest, when the pleated structure 12 is
extended, at the same time as the rims of respective lids 1, 2
define an angle .alpha. with the underlying supporting surface, the
angle being about 25.degree. in the illustrated case, although it
may be in the order of 5-45.degree.. The pleated structure 12
preferably extends from the hinges 39 up to at least one-third of
the height h of the lid and the body respectively.
It will be seen from FIG. 4 that the lids 1, 2 are supported by the
underlying supporting surface 55 at a point P which is spaced
significantly from the support feet 14. In this regard, the inner
surface of the lid is intended to slope downwards and inwards
towards the body, at least in respect of that part of the lid which
is located outside the lid support point P. As will be seen from
FIG. 4, the distance between P and the adjacent support foot is
roughly the same as the distance between respective support feet
and may vary widely. For instance, said distance may be in the
region of 0.2 to two times the distance between respective support
feet.
Because the walls 36 are trapezoidal in shape, the centre of
gravity of the lids 1, 2 and their contents will be displaced
towards/into the support area defined by the feet 14, wherewith the
bag will remain stable even when the lids 1, 2 are closed against
the body 3.
Referring now to FIG. 5, it will be seen that a panel 11 is
inserted between the centre parts of the bellows-like structure 12,
and that a plane-rigid panel 10 that extends over a part of the
height of the lid 1 also extends in the proximity of the rim plane
of the lid 1 so that a storage pocket can also be established
between the inside of the lid 1 and the panel 10. A row of bottle
holders 13 are provided on one side of the panel, inwardly of the
end plane of the body. Upwardly open storage pockets 15 are
provided on the upper part of the panel 16, on the side thereof
facing towards the panel 11. The lid 2 is provided with a storage
pocket 17 on its inner surface.
As will be seen from FIGS. 6 and 7, the body top plate has an
opening or a discontinuation in its longitudinal midway region, so
as to form an opening 30, 31 for access to the bag interior when
the lids 1, 2 are closed against the body 3. The body panel 16 may
include an opening 46 in its upper edge part, to facilitate access
to the bag interior via the openings 30, 31. It will be seen from
FIGS. 6 and 7 that the rims of the lids 1, 2 may have openings 51,
52 that function to widen the openings 30, 31. FIG. 7 shows that
the zip fastener 4 is terminated at opposite ends of the openings
30, 31. It will also be seen that a flap or like device 21 is
hinged to the bag, suitably on one lid 2. The flap/lid 21 may be
rigid and have a cross-sectional configuration that conforms with
the general cross-sectional configuration of the upper part of the
closed bag. Furthermore, the flap/lid 21 may be pivotally connected
via a hinge 2. The flap/lid 21 may also be provided with a fastener
23, for instance a press-stud catch that can be caused to engage
with a corresponding catch part 24 on the lid 1 in the closed
position of the flap 21.
The inventive bag is primarily intended for use as an infant-care
bag that can be carried readily and used comfortably in producing
and replacing pacifiers, feeding bottles and other frequently used
items. The bag is also intended to provide comfortable access to
its interior when the lids are opened out, as is the normal case,
wherewith the lids and the body together define deep pockets that
minimise the risk of an article that may have fallen down towards
the pocket from falling out of the opened bag. The opened lids have
a maximum extended position in which they extend obliquely down
towards the underlying supportive surface. Because the lids are
tangential to the supportive surface at a considerable distance
from the bag supporting area on said supportive surface, the bag
obtains improved stability when one lid is in its open
position.
Although the invention has been described with reference to one
embodiment thereof, it will be understood that this embodiment can
be modified in several respects.
For instance, the access opening 30, 31 can be utilized regardless
of the angle at which the lids 1, 2 rest against the underlying
supporting surface when opened out. It will also be understood that
the bag can be used for accessories other than those related to
infant care. The hinges 39 will suitably lie on the level of the
plate 37, i.e., at a height of about 1-2 cm above the supporting
plane of the feet 14.
The invention being thus described, it will be apparent that the
same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be
regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention,
and all such modifications as would be recognized by one skilled in
the art are intended to be included within the scope of the
following claims.
* * * * *